A flash essay by Brian Trapp: "At age 17, he liked to go to my hockey games and watch me fall all over the ice while he flirted with his lady friends. My brother was mostly a spectator in the world raging around him, but more than anything he wanted to be included. He enjoyed it."

This is an interview with Suzy Clement, a mother of two special needs children. Suzy is a photographer / artist and is married to Lenny Gonzalez, a videographer and musician. Their daughter Mielle is 14 years old and has Juvenile Myositis, a rare, autoimmune disease. She is still in treatment and is functioning well, given her challenges. Lucien is 9 years old and diagnosed with a form of autism. He is mostly non-verbal and requires help with all his daily needs.

Amy Silverman’s recent memoir, MY HEART CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE IT, blends memoir and journalism to tell the story of Amy’s struggles to come to terms with a new role: caregiver for her daughter Sophie, who has Down Syndrome.

Elizabeth Aquino, a past recipient of a CAREGIFTED Getaway, has been an active member of the epilepsy community, founding a non-profit foundation called PACE (People Against Childhood Epilepsy) that raised several million dollars for cutting edge research and eventually folded into CURE. She also served on the board of several non-profits serving the special needs community, including The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and Realm of Caring.

UNDERSUNG, a film by Adam Larsen and Heather McHugh, will premiere in Vancouver, Canada at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival on Sunday, May 8th at 3:00 pm. CAREGIFTED is bringing 4 of the caregivers featured in the film (and also recipients of getaways) to participate in the opening celebration.

In addition to her many talents, Kim is also the mother of two children living with Juvenile Arthritis and has written a very good book based on her research and experience called Living with Juvenile Arthritis: A Parent’s Guide.

Have you missed CAREGIFTED’s blog post?! Our blog has been resting while the CAREGIFTED crew has been vigorously working behind the scenes. We are excited to announce our newest feature to our webpage: monthly musings for caregivers by caregivers. Among our first featured writers will be Suzanne Edison. Read on for a deeper introduction to her!

When you experience a lecture by Heather it is unclear, as The Stranger puts it, whether she is "reading poetry or speaking freely because the constant wordplay of her everyday language is so delightfully over the top, like an exquisite costume."